Descent of Night, ©Caine/Chris Ford, all rights reserved
In April of last year Caine blogged about the creation of this painting, Descent of Night. I fell in love with it instantly and wrote Caine to tell her how much it reminded me of shooting off fireworks at a place called Corner of the Beach. My husband and I do this every year on our anniversary and the colours Caine chose are the colours of the cliffs surrounding the beach. The rich reds and oranges with browns and touches of green. And all those stars are so full of energy, just like fireworks in motion. I asked Caine if it would be possible to get a good quality photograph of the piece and she said yes with no hesitation.
Imagine my surprise when I received a package that was not a photograph, but rather the painting itself. I was dumbstruck. Caine only knew me at that time through a few photo submissions and some comments I’d made on the blog. I was essentially a stranger to her and here she had sent me this incredible piece of art. Imagine! The painting is now a cherished possession of mine. It not only reminds me of fireworks, but also of the kindness and generosity of a stranger who became a treasured friend.
I know many of you also have stories or thoughts about our beloved Caine so we’ve created this thread for you to share them. It will be left open and once I can figure a few things out it will be linked in the sidebar. The rules that Caine put in place still apply. Anything disrespectful will be immediately removed and don’t be an asshole.
I don’t really know where to start.
RE: the painting. I thought that looked familiar!
(I know this is not the best way of putting things in an atheist blog, but you are truly blessed).
“the”
quotetheunquote, I think there are blessings that are irreligious, and knowing Caine via this blog was, for me, a blessing.
Long may her spirit shine in this place.
What a treasure that painting is, so wonderful. And a testament to Caine’s generosity.
She was the reason I evolved so much as an amateur photographer, I truly owe it to her. Her incentives, kind compliments and occasional lessons when I was just starting were what motivated me to pursue this hobby further. Looking at her photos was an educative experience on its own. Many years ago, when the Endless Thread at Pharyngula was slowly turning from a creationist-fueled debate to chit chat, the topic of photography came up, and without ever having seen any photo from me, Caine was quick to invite me to share my photos online on Moblog where she had a page. I hesitated, who would want to see my snapshots, but she convinced me somehow. My first post there was a photo of little snails on an almond tree, leading her to joke about Ninja Snails in Almont! :D I can barely believe that was 8 years ago. I miss her so much.
I will do my best to abide by Caine’s rules. I was not always successful. I apologized more than once for crossing lines. All I can say is that the asshole is strong in this one, but I will use all my skills and strengths to control me.
Voyager,
Caine was delighted to send you her original. She told me, “she is expecting a print, she’ll be blown away by getting the real painting!”.
She always gifted her artwork, to people she knew would appreciate it.
Now I know why she gave it to you. Your story means everything to her, and me.
dakotagreasemonkey,
Thanks for sharing that.
While Tony’s Speakeasy thread at The Orbit was where I broke out of my lurker-shell (over a decade at Pharyngula), Affinity was where I was most active. Caine’s welcoming, but no-nonsense, attitude helped with that.
One of the main things I’ll remember is her -- and others -- opening my eyes to the myriad ways that people are creative. I still use -- with her permission -- one of the oil/paint/water bubble pictures (Avoidance) she created as the banner image for my home server pages.
I’m glad the blog will continue. Cheers.
I knew Caine through Moblog, and loved comparing her viewpoint in the USA to mine in the UK. She could make a still of a chain link fence look just as interesting as a bird in flight, and helped me develop my own way of seeing.
My love to Rick, and the critters, I will miss her, and continue to think of her often x